For women of Afghanistan, life is better

Unveiled: Afghan women past and present – Knee-length skirts, high heels and walking freely down the street: it's hard to believe that this was Kabul in June 1978. Browse through this gallery and see how dramatically women's dress in Afghanistan has changed over the years.

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the present – Covered from head to toe, women walk on the outskirts of Jalalabad, accompanied by a liberally-dressed boy, in October 2013. Horia Mosadiq, Amnesty International's Afghanistan Researcher, says that although there are not any legal restrictions on women's dress code in Afghanistan, considerable social and cultural pressures force them to wear a burqa or fully cover themselves. "They would simply be targeted otherwise," she says, "by the Taliban, their family members, or even passers-by on the street."

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the past – Male and female Afghan students studying computing technology sit together and listen to a female Soviet teacher (center) in the Computing Center of the Polytechnical Institute in Kabul in 1981. The Soviet Union had invaded the country in December 1979.

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the present – Afghan female university students, dressed in the traditional blue burqa, attend a math class under a tent at the Nangarhar University campus in Jalalabad in September 2012. Under Taliban rule, between 1994 and 2001 women were banned from education and work, even from leaving their homes unaccompanied.

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the past – This picture taken in 1981 shows a well-groomed woman and her children on the streets of Kabul. "We used to be a fairly modern country," says Mosadiq.

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the present – A young boy stands among a group of veiled women waiting to receive food aid during a U.N. World Food Program distribution in Kabul in November 2001. "I myself remember the mujahideen's takeover of Kabul on 27 April 1992," says Mosadiq. "On 26 April I wore a miniskirt and a sleeveless shirt, but the day after I was terrified to walk outside without being fully covered."

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the past – An Afghan woman, dressed in western-style clothing and standing comfortably around men, takes a photograph at the frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan. This photograph was taken circa 1955.

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the present – A burqa-clad woman crosses the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in September 2002 at the Kadam Safar border crossing.

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the past – Taken in 1962, this picture shows Afghan women walking along a street in Kabul. Four of them are wearing burqas, whereas one walks comfortably among them in European-style dress. "When the mujahideen-led government replaced the Soviets in 1992, new restrictions on dress were formalized," says Mosadiq, "and obviously the Taliban's takeover in 1994 was the final nail in the coffin for any kind of independent dress for both men and women."

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Unveiled: Afghan women past and present12 photos

Afghanistan: In the present – Women wait to receive food aid during a U.N. World Food Program scheme in Kabul in December 2001. "Even inside Afghanistan, female dress code varies hugely between regions," says Mosadiq. "You'll find the blue burqas across the whole country, but in urban centers like Kabul many women will only wear a hijab. In the north a white burqa is common, and in some Pashtun areas you'll find women in colorful dresses and just a headscarf."

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Afghanistan: In the past – A nomad girl shows off her elaborate costume which is unique to women from the Afghan Pashtun ethnic group to which nomads also belong. The date when this photograph was taken is unknown.

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Afghanistan: In the present – An Afghan Kuchi (Pashtun nomad) girl covers her face as she attends a class on October 27, 2010. She is being taught in a tent near the ruins of the Darul Aman Palace on the outskirts of Kabul.

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Story highlights

A bipartisan coalition of women in Congress visited women in Afghanistan

The improvement in the quality of life for Afghan women is unmistakable, they say

Still, long-term success will be in the preservation of the gains made by Afghan women

We awoke one morning in Kabul to the sound of not-too-distant explosions, marking the start to the fighting season. But bombs were not the foremost takeaway from our Mother's Day trip to Afghanistan -- the women fighting to stop the bombs left a more lasting impression.

More than a decade after American and allied forces toppled the Taliban regime, the improvement in the quality of life for Afghan women is unmistakable. Women are now participants -- and in many cases, leaders -- in a society that once systematically subjugated them. There are female government officials at almost every level, young girls going to school, young women in college, and new opportunities cropping up around the country.

On a sixth annual trip, our congressional delegation of women legislators spent several days in Afghanistan in May meeting with many of the women who have helped begin to reverse centuries of repression. We spoke with female public officials, women journalists, and heads of organizations focused on advancing the role of women.

And we had the privilege to spend time with a special group of people who, although they are not from Afghanistan, have a unique appreciation for what Afghan women are fighting for. On Mother's Day we met our "military moms" -- women soldiers from the United States who have children back home. We delivered Mother's Day cards made by American school children, hosted a luncheon and listened to their stories of heroism and sacrifice.

It became clear that all these women -- Afghan, American or otherwise -- are determined to preserve and grow the progress made by Afghan women and girls.

A bipartisan delegation of Congresswomen visited American women service members in Afghanistan.

The most striking example came when we met with women members of the Afghan parliament. At a roundtable, we discussed the opportunities that have been made available to Afghan women and girls over the past decade; the important role they must play in the country's society, security and economy in order to see future success; and the critical need to protect these gains from backsliding.

"We can bring democracy to Afghanistan," one of the Parliamentarians said.

For emphasis, another added: "We can deliver."

By engaging with the Afghan people directly, we experienced firsthand the growing sense of cautious optimism that seems to have taken root here, due in large part to women's gains and to the recent national elections.

There is no mistaking that the situation in Afghanistan is still fragile and highly complicated.

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Yes, the elections in April saw relative success with high voter turnout, a higher than expected turnout among women, and relatively small amounts of violence. But runoff elections set for June 14 are another important test of the coalition-trained Afghan security forces and voter retention.

A bilateral security agreement needs to be signed. Both remaining presidential candidates have signaled their willingness to participate in such an agreement, but details are yet to be finalized. A clear plan to maintain Afghan women's gains must be included. Our delegation urged for more focus to be placed on recruiting women to the Afghan National Security Forces. The Afghan Ministry of Defense currently has 700 women in the security forces, but that number needs to be increased significantly.

Last week, President Barack Obama announced that 9,800 American troops will remain in Afghanistan after the end of 2014, with that number stepping down in subsequent years. No one wants our troops to stay in Afghanistan one moment longer than necessary, and the transition from a combat role to one of training and advisory must be done carefully and responsibly.

Afghanistan must take the reins of their country's future, and America must play an important role in ensuring a lasting peace. A secure Afghanistan ultimately impacts America's national security. And strong signals of U.S. support contribute to the confidence of the Afghan people.

An important bellwether for the success or failure of America's efforts in Afghanistan will be the preservation of the gains made by Afghan women.

If the bombs we heard that morning in Kabul reminded us of the challenges that remain here, the women we met in Afghanistan personified how far this country has come, and the potential for where it goes next.